Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Kevin Porter Jr. is in concussion protocol. Porter left the court in the 1st quarter of the Cavs loss to the Celtics.
At this point there is no timetable for return.
Kevin Porter Jr. will be able to return to the court upon meeting the following criteria.
- He is without concussion-related symptoms at rest.
- He has been evaluated by a physician.
- Has successfully completed the NBA return-to-participation exertion protocol.
- A team physician has discussed the return-to-participation process and decision with the Director of the NBA concussion program.
There is also a return to participation set of criteria.
- A player diagnosed with a concussion should be regularly monitored by a member of the team’s medical staff for 24 hours for the evolution of symptoms. The player may not begin the return-to-participation exertion process until 24 hours after the time of injury. The initiation of the return-to-participation exertion process is determined by a team physician.
- The return to participation process involves several steps of increasing exertion – from a stationary bike to jogging, to agility work, to non-contact team drills.
- Each exertion stage should be monitored by the team’s medical staff. With each step, a focused neurological examination is performed and a player must be symptom-free to move to the next step. If a player is not symptom-free, he stops until he is and begins again at the last step he passed without any symptoms.
- It’s important to note that there is no timeframe to complete the process. Each injury and player is different and recovery time can vary in each case.
There should be no hurry for Kevin Porter Jr. to return to action. The Cleveland Cavaliers are going nowhere and rushing him back is not in the best interest of anyone. It is about the long game when it comes to the Cavaliers and the future of Kevin Porter Jr. This season is about one thing and one thing only. Development. Outside of that, there is no actual need for Porter to return earlier than necessary. Their priority should be making sure Kevin Porter Jr. is healthy.
Without Kevin Porter Jr. other Cavs will need to step up
Without Porter the Cavs offense certainly will take a bit of hit. Collin Sexton is on a hot streak, but others will need to produce. The Cleveland Cavaliers will have a rather tough test ahead of them as they face the Denver Nuggets Saturday. Cleveland could again be without the likes of Darius Garland, Tristan Thompson, and Andre Drummond. If this is the case, it would be quite difficult for Cleveland to snap their losing streak. The Cavaliers will need to play an almost perfect game and yet that may not be enough. Denver is one of the better teams in the league while the Cavs are one of the worst.
